listen
by call.me.clueless
Summary: They were so close that she could hear his heart beat. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. She knew that hers was beating twice as fast.


Disclaimer: Soul Eater is not mine.

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He lay motionless on the damp ground of the early morning. It wasn't even time for school yet and they had already gotten themselves into this mess. She watched as whatever they were fighting (as she still hadn't the slightest idea) inched closer to her partner. Her eyes widened as long nails were brought forth from the hands of the villain currently before her. She sat frozen in place, hand gripping her arm to try to stop the bleeding. She was powerless to try and stop him.

_"Maka, look out!"_

_"Soul, what're you—"_

It had been a matter of minutes. That's all the time that it took to reduce to the power team of the Academy to shreds.

Soul had reverted back into his human form and taken the hit for her. He always did that, she mused but wasn't able to dwell on it long.

"You can watch as I tear your precious weapon to pieces," The grating voice echoed around her and brought her from her thoughts. The words he spoke were sentencing.

She blinked once, twice, and ran. Her wounds were forgotten and the pain erased as she ran towards her partner, her friend. After landing a swift kick to the enemy, Maka slid towards her fallen friend. She shook him hard, panting, and wishing he would wake up faster. His white hair flew in all different directions as his neck flopped back and forth. She pushed against him, trying to get any sort of reaction.

They only had a matter of seconds before—

"SOUL!" She cried as foot long, yellow nails dug into her shoulder. She was lifted effortlessly into the air, her skin tearing a little more with each inch she was raised. She could feel drops of blood slide down her arm, dripping onto the pavement. Now would have been the perfect time for her partner to join her.

"Please, Soul, wake up!" She yelled again, her voice raising a few octaves as she was thrown several feet away. The monster growled as he moved after his new prey. The tall, black form raised its hand again, aiming for her heart. She took a deep breath, knowing that she was cornered and this could very well be the end of the line.

She closed her eyes and-

"Dammit, Maka, you're useless without me," A familiar voice said as he gripped his side, trying to hide the pain but to no avail. He turned to face her and she tried not wince as she viewed his wounds for the first time. His shirt was torn, blood still oozing slowly out of a rather large gash. He wiped his brow with his good hand and removed some of the blood that had begun again coming from his temple. Soul smirked at her expression, clearly offended that she would think he would even be phased by these wounds.

Even covered in blood, Soul wanted to look cool.

Slowly, a small smile formed on Maka's face, and her partner took that as a sign to transform. She gripped him firmly in one of her hands, the other still applying pressure to her wound.

They needed to finish this, she decided, and soon.

The black figure moved closer to the pair, its tall form looming dangerously over them. Maka dodged a quick swipe from its long arms, not wanting to be reduced to pieces. She swung her scythe in retaliation, catching the monster in the leg. It didn't seem to phase him, however, as he continued after her. She tumbled and fell, dodging swings left and right and waiting for just the right moment to go on the offensive.

"He's slower now on the right side. Use it and end this," Soul said, giving her his analysis of the given situation. Maka nodded, taking the opportunity and running with it. She tightened her grip on her weapon of choice and charged.

She dodged left, right, and then rolled, starting to memorize the pattern of his attack. One more round of defense and she would strike. Left, right, roll. She through out her legs, catching him at the only weak point that she knew of and snapped whatever bone had been there. His legs collapsed under his weight and Maka took the chance that had presented itself.

With one last swing of her scythe, she slashed the figure's chest.

_It's over, _she thought, flying through the air and attempting to brace herself as she landed. Her ankle twisted awkwardly, snapping painfully, and she dropped her scythe, watching with wide eyes as it slide a few feet away from her. Slowly, Soul returned to his human form.

She held her breath, waiting for him to take his first. When she was sure he hadn't moved, she rushed as quickly as she could on a broken ankle to his side. Maka put her head on his chest, checking for any sign of life within her partner. She gasped, tears forming at the brims of her eyes when she found none. She raised her head again and began pounding broken fingers and bloodied fists against his chest. Skin met skin and she willed him to come back.

"You can't do this to me, Soul," She whispered, the pounding continuing. Her heart dropped to her stomach and the beating ceased as all the noise around her stopped. She felt like she wasn't even in her own body and the scene before her should have been a part of a movie. She didn't want this to be real; this wasn't how it was supposed to happen.

_Nothing_ ever went according to plan and she detested this fact.

After a few minutes of no response, Maka sat back on her knees, defeated, and tears pouring from her eyes. Maka wiped her bloodshot eye with the back of her hand and pounded it against the pavement. She would never be strong enough to save him, she decided, even though he had always saved her.

She choked on her tears and the words that she so desperately wanted to cry out to anyone that would listen. Loud, painful sobs racked her body as she sat, defeated, by Soul. Maka raised her hands to cover her face, unsure of what was to come next. Just when she was sure that the pain would overtake her, she heard the faintest of sounds. A small groan escaped Soul's lips and he shifted. He attempted to sit up, but remembered as soon as the pain hit that his arm was broken. His face contorted in agon but he tried to control it.

Maka only watched the scene unfold for a few microseconds before throwing herself on top of him, ignoring the fact that both of them needed immediate medical attention.

He could smell the salt from her tears as she landed on him. He could smell the scent of blood all around them; his, hers, it didn't matter any more. He felt her wrap her arms tightly around his neck, fearing that if she dared to let go, she might loose him. He put his arms around her waist without any reservation or hesitation.

She was so close to him that she could hear the pounding of his heart and almost feel it too. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. She was positive that hers was beating twice as fast. Face red and eyes bloodshot, she pulled away. Her arms rubbed against the rough cement of the pavement as she braced herself against it. As if it were a natural instinct, Soul reached out and grabbed her wrist to pull her closer.

Their eyes locked.

It was then that she decided that she was content, and could, quite frankly, stay like that forever.

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NOTES. This was my first attempt at writing Soul Eater so I hope it turned out all right. It's not much of a story, but I prefer drabbles and random things most of the time. Anyway!

REVIEWS FOR CRITICISM WILL GET YOU A COOKIE.


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